Loyola coach Porter Moser believed in his players, of course. He praised their work ethic and potential.
But he knew the Ramblers wouldn’t last. Not if they didn’t start making free throws.
It doesn’t take John Wooden to sense impending doom for a team that can’t make them.
“We’ve been skating on thin ice for many, many games with this free-throw shooting,” Moser said. “Tonight, it caught us.”
No. 2 seed Loyola had other issues Friday in its 74-73 overtime loss to seventh-seeded Valparaiso in a Missouri Valley Tournament quarterfinal, but none as glaring as from the line. The Ramblers missed 13 of 27 attempts — an obvious difference maker in a game that came down to the wire after they allowed the Crusaders to charge back from an 18-point second-half deficit.
With a wide-open path for a second NCAA Tournament berth in three seasons after No. 8 seed Drake’s equally stunning upset of top-seeded Northern Iowa earlier in the day, the loss was especially disappointing for Loyola (21-11).
And it has the remaining teams in the tournament believing this is their year.
After No. 6 seed Missouri State’s 78-51 upset of No. 3 Indiana State in the nightcap Friday, the highest remaining seed is No. 4 Bradley. The Braves take on Drake at 2:35 p.m. Saturday, followed by Valpo-Missouri State at 5:05 p.m.
Arch Madness, indeed.
These Ramblers didn’t have a conference player of the year as they did the last two seasons. They didn’t enter the conference tournament as the regular-season champions and No. 1 seeds, either, as they did the last two years.
Sister Jean Delores Schmidt, the 100-year-old team chaplain, was in the stands at the Enterprise Center cheering again. But something felt different.
The Ramblers arrived in St. Louis with something to prove after an unexpected semifinal loss in the tournament last season. With a host of newcomers and no senior in the top rotation, Loyola lived through a season of potential and pitfalls.
“I’m sad. I’m bummed. Just, I’m upset,” Moser said. “A lot of emotions going on right now, but I know I’ll reflect on just how proud I am of the guys. … It’s tough because now you’ve got to go in the offseason with that taste in your mouth.”
The Ramblers appeared poised to coast into the semifinals with an 18-point lead in the second half while they were shooting 57%.
But then they inexplicably let Valpo catch up.
They held the Crusaders, whom they swept in the regular season in narrow victories, to 22 points and 33.3% shooting in the first half. But Valpo (18-15) outscored Loyola 46-32 in the second half and held the Ramblers to 1-of-10 shooting in overtime.
And those damn free throws.
The whiffs weren’t unexpected. Loyola’s 65.6% free-throw shooting entering the tournament ranked 315th out of 350 Division I teams. The Ramblers shot worse than 70% from the line in 23 games, with all but one of their losses coming in those instances.
It’s not as if it was only one or two players dragging down the average. Nobody on the team — except for deep reserve Bruno Skokna, who made 8 of 9 this season — shot even 70%.
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“It just seemed like it got a little contagious,” Moser said. “That was a hard snowball to stop going downhill, no matter what we were trying. And they’re all capable (of making free throws).”
The unraveling loss overshadowed a brilliant performance from guard Keith Clemons, who scored a career-high 28 points. He had 17 points by halftime, and he hit 5 of 6 3-pointers during the game.
Valparaiso deserves credit for making timely clutch shots to erase an 18-point deficit.
In regulation, John Kiser and Ryan Fazekas made back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game 68-68 with 10.6 seconds left.
Donovan Clay’s layup with 1:39 left in overtime gave the Crusaders a 72-71 lead — their first since the opening minutes. Junior Cameron Krutwig made two free throws with 13 seconds left to give Loyola a one-point lead, but an Eron Gordon layup with 3 seconds left gave Valpo the win.
“This is a pretty big moment for us,” Valparaiso coach Matt Lottich said. “Loyola is a team we haven’t been able to beat.”
Loyola players said the loss stung, but they see a brighter future.
Everyone except Skokna, who didn’t play Friday, will return. Krutwig, a starter since his freshman season, will be a senior.
“The faces change but the expectations don’t,” Krutwig said. “The good thing for us is we don’t have a lot of faces changing next year.”